national forest

Now it’s the Obama administration’s turn to show they listened

What Happened: It didn’t make much news in light of the Gulf Coast oil spill and thwarted terror plot in New York City, but citizens across the U.S. accomplished something important over the past six weeks: They got involved in a federal decision making process and told Obama administration they want greater protection for our national forests.

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DENVER – In response to the State of Colorado submitting to the Obama administration its proposed rule for governing the country’s unroaded national forests, The Wilderness Society today issued the following statement.

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The Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska is our nation’s largest national forest. This 17 million acres of land provides a wealth of resources from scenic views to old growth to habitat for hundreds of species including wild salmon, brown bears and whales. For the 70,000 inhabitants in that region, the national forest provides food for the dinner table, sanctity for cultural teachings, and vast opportunities for recreation and enjoyment.

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Centuries before chainsaws were invented and logging corporations founded, the towering trees of Alaska’s Tongass National Forest were growing. Trees that soar to the sky today were already shooting into adolescence when Columbus sailed the seas.

The gentle giants amaze visitors with their arresting size — some trunks are as big as dining room tables — but these rare trees are a disappearing breed.

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Ever hear the old adage that trees are the “lungs of the earth?” It creates an awesome visual and brings a human element to the towering giants that fill our forests. But did you know that forests in the Pacific Northwest and Southeast Alaska are among the Earth’s strongest “lungs?”

On March 3, The Wilderness Society filed a protest with the Bureau of Land Management, which was planning to auction off a lease that would allow oil and natural gas drilling on the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia. The BLM is the leasing agent for all federal lands, including national forests, and a “protest” is a document that allows the public to challenge those leases before they are auctioned off.

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One of our top priorities in the Pacific Northwest is the North Cascades Initiative. Rising from lush valleys to Mount Baker’s 10,778-foot peak, the North Cascades are in greater Seattle’s backyard and is the most glaciated area in the Lower 48.

Glaciers carved many of the deep valleys and cut mountain sides much steeper than those on the higher peaks of the Sierra Nevada or Rockies. The North Cascades are one of the few intact ecosystems in the Lower 48 that is wild and large enough to support wide-ranging species such as grizzlies, mountain lion, and wolves.

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A recent report from The Wilderness Society shows that the Tongass National Forest contributes more than $2 billion to local economies through non-timber uses, such as recreation and tourism, commercial salmon fishing, subsistence and scientific research.

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In New Mexico’s Santa Fe National Forest you’ll find one of the most heavily roaded forests in the southwest. More than 4,470 miles of road braid across its landscape—enough to take you from Santa Fe to Reykjavik, Iceland.

If loads of roads weren’t what you were expecting to find in a national forest, you’ll be happy to know that the forest may soon see a return of roadless areas.

Recently, the forest released an initial plan to close many miles of unnecessary, environmentally damaging roads across the forest.